Vice President JD Vance confirmed this Thursday that President Donald Trump's Administration is holding talks with the Cuban government and warned that the future of the bilateral relationship will depend on the decisions that Havana takes in the coming months.

During a press conference, Vance was asked about recent statements by Trump, who suggested that Cuba could become the next focus of US foreign policy after events related to Iran. Although he avoided offering specific details about the ongoing talks, the vice president made it clear that Washington expects concrete signs of change from Cuban authorities.

“We want the Cuban people to be happy and successful,” Vance said. "Right now we are talking to the Cuban government about how they could change their way of acting to achieve this. Let's see what they do. If they make smart decisions, we will have a much better relationship with that island."

The statements represent one of the most direct acknowledgments by the White House of the existence of contacts with Havana since Trump's return to power and come at a time marked by growing economic and diplomatic pressure on the Cuban government.

Washington links the Cuban crisis to migration and regional security

Vance described Cuba as a country whose economic system “has not worked” and assured that the island's situation is even more complicated than that of other nations subject to strong economic pressures. The vice president also highlighted the geographical proximity between both countries and pointed out that recurring crises in Cuba usually have direct repercussions for the United States, particularly in immigration matters.

According to Vance, every time the Cuban economy goes through severe difficulties, thousands of people try to leave the island in search of better opportunities, a situation that ends up impacting American communities, especially in Florida.

The reference reinforces the concern of the Republican administration about the migratory flow from the Caribbean, an issue that has become a priority within Washington's border security agenda.

US officials have insisted that any significant progress in bilateral relations will depend on structural changes within Cuba, including economic reforms and greater political openness.

Cuba analyzes reforms while facing deep economic crisis

Vance's statements coincide with a particularly complex moment for the island. The Cuban government, headed by Miguel Díaz-Canel, is evaluating a broad package of economic and social proposals aimed at facing the crisis affecting the country.

During an extraordinary meeting of the Cuban Communist Party, Díaz-Canel recognized the need to promote urgent transformations to respond to the accumulated problems in key sectors of the economy.

Among the measures analyzed are initiatives to expand private sector participation, attract foreign investment, grant greater autonomy to state companies and decentralize some economic decisions. The Cuban economy faces difficulties derived from fuel shortages, frequent blackouts, low productivity, inflation and a sustained decrease in income from tourism and other sources of foreign currency.

While Havana attributes much of the crisis to US sanctions, Trump Administration officials maintain that the problems respond mainly to structural deficiencies in the Cuban economic model. For now, both parties maintain open channels of communication, although Washington has made it clear that any improvement in the bilateral relationship will be conditional on concrete actions by the Cuban government.

Vance's words reflect that position: the door to dialogue remains open, but the direction of relations will depend on the decisions that Havana adopts in the coming months.